Starting Over
by Solarius Scorch
Summary: Seven years after finishing high school, the girls are struggling with their adult lives. As said lives did not exactly turn as planned, they decide to join forces again to find their lost youth.
1. Wasted Years

The idea for this fic struck me randomly, like the proverbial ninja in the night. It starts as your typical "a few years later" _Azumanga Daioh_ fic, where we can see what happened to our favourite girls after they finished high school, and how they are dealing with their adult lives. And since said lives are not going as well as one could wish, they need to do something about it... together.

Azumanga Daioh belongs to Kiyohiko Azuma, who is our benevolent original author.

* * *

The sky was getting dark, and the street lamp Mihama Chiyo was just passing by flickered to life. A cloud of insects immediately flocked to the light, but Chiyo paid it no attention at all; she was busy getting depressed over herself again.

The former child prodigy was not feeling well about her life. Being assistant manager in a major telecommunications company was not bad, especially in these times of crisis, but she couldn't help thinking that maybe she somehow had failed her own expectations; no, she was sure of that.

Back in high school, life was so simple, so deceptively regular and easy to live. Everybody seemed to think that there's nothing she couldn't do when it comes to intellectual capabilities, and to be honest she shared the same opinion about herself. After all, she managed not only to advance five years ahead of her peers, but to excel in her new class to the point when her new, older friends accepted her intellectual superiority. At the end of her last year, she was even awarded the title of the best student in her school, despite her young age! Chiyo was not a person who would brag about it or look down on her less-gifted friends, but she simple accepted her own genius as an undisputed fact.

However, after the high school ended, Chiyo suddenly faced a new chapter in her life, something she was completely unprepared for. Her parents prodded her towards going overseas to study economics, so that her future career would be secured with both intellect and education, and of course she complied - it wasn't like she had any other plans, never really thinking about the future too seriously. She and Tadakichi-san said goodbye to their homeland, and so began her venture into the world of adults.

During her first year in the University of California she knew she would be shining as always. She missed her old gang, but she hoped that she could win some new friends like she did before, with her natural charm and keen mind. She did make friends of sorts indeed, but they were mostly around twenty years old, while she was still twelve - a child among young adults. Over time she realised that the age difference was for some reason much bigger than in high school; her university peers found her adorable, but they couldn't really include her in most of their usual activities. Chiyo was therefore spending most of her time with geeks and bookworms, who preferred other pastimes than most American students, but even with them she could not really form close bonds due to age and cultural differences.

Chiyo could live with that, but during her second year another issue started to plague her: she lost her faith in her own genius. Chiyo was still considered to be very bright, but other students were considerably different from her old high school friends: many of them were very focused on the lectures, determined to start a career or already working in financial institutions, and sometimes extremely intelligent too. Chiyo found herself in a completely new position: before her trip to California her life consisted of "doing well" and "having fun", with little to no attention directed at any long-term objectives; now she needed to deal with social environment where some people were not only her equals or even better in education - this was something she didn't mind - but who also made her realise that she was still a child, who isn't really qualified yet to do anything with her life. She didn't like very much, but she had no doubts about that.

During the following years in California, Chiyo was adrift, like someone who is only partially awaken. Not only did she feel too different from her friends, nice as they might be, but she also decided that she's not really all that interested in economics. What's more, her body decided to take sudden steps towards maturity, which was also rather detracting from her daily routines. Her naturally cheerful personality remained all there on the surface, but inside she was feeling more and more insecure about herself; she just didn't feel ready to become one of them, those adult people with their adult problems and mindsets. Her careful experiences with grown-up forms of entertainment that she decided to try out didn't turn out very well either, and she started to retract from others even more, instead concentrating on learning and random hobbies, such as cooking, yoga, or poetry club. Over those years she was doing pretty well - though not nearly as well as she had anticipated - and finished her studies with flying colours, but her life was no longer simple. To be honest, she felt as disoriented and unmotivated as Tomo had been, but not nearly as cheerful. And much more lonely.

This state of affairs, she mused, was somehow still present, she was just more used to it now than when she had been living abroad. After receiving a title in Global Economics and Management she returned to Japan with aged Tadakichi-san, not really knowing what to do. Her family, although not as rich and influential as it had been only a few years ago, could still pull many strings, and she was offered a position in one of the telephone companies in Tokyo. She accepted it with gratitude, and vowed to herself to give it her best... But at the same time she was sure that her life was somehow out of order, especially when she compared herself to that little Chiyo-chan she was so long ago.

And she was barely nineteen.

Chiyo's grim thoughts were somehow disturbed by the sound of running steps behind her. She automatically glanced back, just to be sure it was nothing dangerous - it was getting dark after all - but she only saw a young woman in blue tracksuit, jogging along the edge of the pavement. Chiyo moved to the side to give her more space, just in case, and was ready to get back to pondering her disappointing existence. However, once the girl passed by her, Chiyo felt compelled to have a closer look at her. That runner's steps seemed somehow familiar... The way people move doesn't really change over the years...

Moved by an impulse coming from some obscure past, Chiyo rushed after the other woman as fast as her high-heeled shoes allowed her. "Kagura-san! Kagura-san, please wait!"

The running girl slowed, made a few more jogs, then stopped and turned around with athletic grace. She looked at the delicate, but rather tall and well-endowed, auburn-haired teenager dressed in formal attire that seemed to be running after her, and after a few seconds of bewilderment her eyes opened wide with sudden realisation.

"I'll be damned, if it's not our little Chiyo-chan", she said, slowly cracking a big grin.

* * *

So, this was the beginning; a bit grim maybe, but it should get better soon. To be honest I have nothing planned, this chapter just wrote itself today. I have some general ideas on what can happen in the immediate future, and what's going on with all the girls, but I don't really know where the entire story is headed. I envisage it as a general/friendship fic when our heroines are getting back together years later (possibly with a slice of humour added), but that's about it. Will there be romance? Or a journey? Or social criticism? Or _Lucky Star_ characters? Or just lemons? Or maybe a masked maniac will slaughter everyone with a rusted chainsaw? Who knows! But we might learn if I feel motivated enough to continue (hint, hint).

So, please R&R.


	2. Caught Somewhere in Time

Many thanks for your kind reviews! The first chapter got much more interest than I expected. I'll try my best not to let you down in the future.

Here it is then, the second chapter — and much longer to boot. Hopefully this is a lasting change.

* * *

A sheet of paper landed on top of the stack, bearing a score of 73%. Mizuhara Koyomi automatically took another one from a pile that was shrinking rather rapidly, and sighed upon seeing the name of the student; knowing the person, she couldn't expect much.

Yomi didn't actually plan on becoming a teacher; after just one year in a technical college, she surprised everyone by applying to the University of Tokyo, Department of Architecture. She felt it was something she'd be good at, with her rather sharp mind, sense of responsibility, and affection for maths. Besides, she wanted to do something she could be proud of, something substantial and large-scale, like bridges, office buildings, or even rollercoasters. Getting into her studies wasn't easy, but once inside, she could pursue her interests freely, and understood that a back-up occupation would be in order. It was actually... him... who suggested to her getting qualifications for teaching, and she decided to go with it. Right after attaining Bachelor degree, she got the opportunity to teach physics in one of the many colleges in the capital, and over for the next three years it seemed to have dominated her professional life. That's why her Master studies were postponed for indefinite time — something she often felt guilty about — and why she was now sitting here correcting tests, even though it was well past eight already.

Yomi didn't mind staying late at work, though; going home would be more of a pain. The atmosphere between... him... and herself was getting very tense over the past months. Who could have guessed it would turn out like this? Four years ago, she was head over heels with him, by her standards anyway. He was nine years older than her, rather good-looking, smart, passionate about his work, and she was his student in material engineering class. Their relationship developed quickly, and they were married after just six months. Her family was a bit reserved at first, but he quickly won them over with his academic charms and an aura of prosperity. Even her friends congratulated her on such a great catch... Except for Tomo, who hated the guy on the spot. Tomo was always straining to be as unpleasant towards him as she could, and oh boy, was she an expert. Yomi decided to never allow her near her husband again, which resulted in almost pushing Tomo out of her life entirely. Those times, she was really angry at her best friend's stupidity and apparent prejudice, but recently she often found herself regretting that she never listened to Tomo's objections, never even considered that the bonkura might be right.

Yomi never doubted the fact that Eiichi really cared about her in his own way, but it definitely wasn't the way she appreciated. In the university, he was sometimes called "The Great Architect" due to his lavish, unrestrained taste in architectural design (which was one of his features that Yomi found most intriguing), but he turned out to be equally passionate about designing his personal life in every detail, everyone being a part of it included. He could be gentle and caring when he wanted to, but whenever he envisioned things, there was no way of talking him out of it, no matter how offensive or painful it was to others. Eiichi thought he would organise Yomi's life in perfect order, but never really cared about her own plans — and yet, somehow she always did what he suggested, because he was always sounding so rational and reasonable. For his sake, she put her studies on hiatus and moved to a nice, stable position in education. Also for his sake, she alienated her best friend, and severely limited contacts with most other people, because Eiichi emphasised so much that they should concentrate on their relationship before anything else. However, when Eiichi decided it was the perfect time to have their first child, something snapped in Yomi; she suddenly understood that this would be the final step to seal her destiny. It wasn't that she didn't want to have kids, but she felt it would be far too early; she hasn't accomplished anything in her life yet, and like hell she didn't want to be reduced to a plain housewife with a nice little school job — and that was the only way for her if she continued playing by Eiichi's rules. At that point, Yomi remembered how strong and independent she had always seen herself, and how far from that image she has fallen in order to secure her marriage.

This is how they engaged in their silent war. Yomi felt so guilty in front of herself for being dominated by her husband that now she took every opportunity to claim her rights, or do things the way she wanted. This of course was unacceptable to Eiichi, who never seemed to be taking his wife's opinion into consideration when it came to serious matters. He most likely couldn't understand what rebellious spirit had possessed his gentle, rational Yomi, and was getting extremely frustrated about that. Yomi, on her part, was getting particularly vicious towards him, blaming him for every bad thing that happened to her over the past five years, and honestly it couldn't be very far from truth.

Faced with such a fierce resistance, Yomi's husband's collected personality was quickly fading, revealing his true face of an obsessive controller who apparently chose the wrong girl. Finally, during one of their clashes, he lost his temper and actually slapped her, but to his horror Yomi simply stroke back with her once-famous uppercut. She could still see him staggering back, winded, eyes full of hatred and fear... at that moment, she was pretty sure he was going to kill her. But he quickly retreated to his atelier, and didn't leave until late night.

Since that incident, silence fell on their apartment like heavy blocks of black foam, dividing it into two roughly equal parts. They both went out of their way to avoid meeting each other; Eiichi was working like a madman on some fancy concrete bridge in Edogawa City, while Yomi kept herself to the bedroom, or simply spent as much time out of the house as possible. At first, she was hoping that Eiichi will come to his senses and see the mistakes that brought them to this situation, but over time she understood that her husband bore her only contempt and grudge now. Still, even as she realised that their relationship was doomed from the start, she didn't know what she should do now. She was thinking of separation, but her modest salary was not nearly enough to allow her a decent apartment (she suspected it might had been a part of Eiichi's plan). She somehow couldn't bring herself to get back to her parents, to admit that she was wrong... Or, she simply didn't want to disappoint them, cause them the same anguish as she felt herself. She didn't really have anyone else to turn to, as her friends were probably living their own lives and somehow grew apart from her — although it was mostly her fault — and she didn't want to impose of them. Of course, there was always Tomo, who had always been anything but absorbed by serious things, and who despite her acidic tongue would probably greet her with open arms... But Yomi's pride held her back. No way in hell was she going to hear "I told you, baka" over and over again from this particular person, who suddenly chose to be right at the most inappropriate moment. Especially not after over a year of silence between them had passed.

Snapping out of grim thoughts, Yomi resumed scanning through the poor student's test sheet. Her predictions turned out to be valid; the guy was as clueless with solid-state physics as Tomo would be. With glee, she scribbled a rather long and very sarcastic note just below the score. She was aware that it was a bit childish and unnecessary, but she considered such things as one of her sacred privileges.

She placed the paper on top of other sheets and took the next one, but before she could start properly, her phone rang.

Yomi dropped the test back onto the pile and reached for the buzzing thing, irritated at this interruption and a little apprehensive about who this might be. To her relief, and a bit of surprise, the name that was blinking on the screen was "KAGURA". That was a bit strange; they weren't that close, especially recently, to suddenly call each other on a Wednesday evening. Come to think of it, Yomi suddenly remembered that she had indeed seen Kagura over a month ago, when her former classmate was visiting various schools in search for a part-time job as a P.E. teacher, including hers; it's probably something school-related then. She pressed the green telephone symbol. "Hello?"

"Yomi! How is it going, old girl?", she heard in the receiver. Kagura was sounding unusually cheerful, and Yomi could hear music and many voices in the background; so it probably wasn't a business call after all. "You won't believe whom I met today!"

"Huh? Kagura, I'm fine. That was unexpected, but... good to hear you. What are you talking about?"

"Well, I was just doing a quick lap returning from work, and guess who I saw? Chiyo-chan! So I grabbed her, and took her for a drink."

Yomi's brain was struggling with the information; Chiyo-chan suddenly reappearing somewhere nearby was big news of sorts in itself, but putting her name in the same sentence with the word "drink" was somewhat... disturbing. "Oh?"

"Yeah, she's here all right. She wants to say hello, I'd better give her the phone before she ta–", Kagura's voice was interrupted by a different, exclaiming: "Yomi-san? Yomi? Hello! I'm sooo happy to hear you again!"

By some magical means, the combined voices of Kagura and Chiyo-chan made Yomi's grim thoughts mysteriously go away. She was always considered sound and level-headed, but at this moment — perhaps due to prolonged emotional stress — she felt herself being swept away into some kind of long-lost past, a delightfully violent regression to her younger self that she suddenly felt to the tip of her toes. "Hello Chiyo-chan, you sound great", she blurted; it sounded rather silly, but she didn't care.

"You sound nice too!", answered Chiyo's voice apparently not disconcerted either. She gave a rather loud giggle, like someone really young and innocent... or perhaps a bit drunk. "I heard that you are a sensei now, that's really great! I'm so h... happy for you!"

"Yeah, well... It's okay. I'm actually correcting tests right now, and this one went pretty dreadful. No matter though, what are you doin-"

"Tests?!", exclaimed Kagura's voice; apparently the other woman got her phone back. "You can't do something like that at this late hour, when we are having fun, Chiyo-chan rescued and all..."

"I wasn't rescued, it was actually me who found you!", Chiyo piped in, sounding a bit irritated.

"Yeah, well, that's about right", Kagura continued, "Anyway, how about leaving the paperwork and joining us for a shot? Isn't it a good opportunity to finally see each other properly? We're in that barbecue restaurant in the neighbourhood, you know, the one Yukari-sensei was always visiting... But don't worry, she's not here tonight."

Yomi suddenly felt that in that moment, there's nothing in the world she would desire more than seeing her friends tonight, ten million yen included, but she had to remain practical. "Sorry, it might be two hours or more before I get there, and you're not sounding like you'd be in your best shape by then." She paused for a moment. "How about Friday? I guess I'd like to see you guys, if you're free."

"Fine. How about getting some more people then?", suggested Kagura's voice. "We might as well make a get-together of sorts. I'm sure Osaka could come, it's not like she's doing anything worthwhile on Friday... Or ever, actually." Yomi could picture Kagura's trademark grin.

"Oooh! Ooooh!", the excitement in Chiyo's voice could rival Yukari being offered an expensive seafood meal. "We absolutely, absolutely need to do that! I haven't seen her in, like... ages!"

"It's decided, then", said Kagura, before Yomi had the chance to respond. "I'll contact Osaka straight away, better be quick about it, and I hope she hasn't lost that phone. And you, Yomi, try and get Tomo, okay? We might regret it, but it wouldn't be fun to leave her out of this."

Yomi's heart thumped, and then froze. Tomo? So she's going to see Tomo soon, and on top of that she is being asked to contact and invite her straight away. Of course she couldn't do that, her pride would never allow it; she'd rather die, or burrow herself in soft ground for the rest of her life, than do something like that.

Still, she heard herself saying, "Sure, I'll bring her along, if she's sober enough." Did she really just say that?

"Alright!", answered Kagura decisively. "Friday night it is then, same place. We might even try and get Sakaki, if we manage to track her down."

Well then, see you soon", answered Yomi, maintaining her cool in spite the excitement that was inexplicably growing inside her.

After exchanging final regards, she hung up and stared at her desk. Apart from the complicated issues associated with a certain bonkura, this meeting was something she was really looking forward to. It felt almost like a welcome change in her life, no matter how irrational this might have seemed.

A moment later, her cell phone beeped to signal incoming message from Kagura's number. This turned out to be a photo, apparently made by hand. Yomi saw two young women sitting very close to each other and pressing their cheeks together to fit into the frame: one was wearing a half-open blue tracksuit and a creased white t-shirt, while the other was dressed in a black formal outfit; their appearances surely clashed with each other, but they both presented almost identical state of cheerful half-drunkenness. Yomi had a good look on the latter, eyeing her young, but definitely adult face, which was different but still very reminiscent of the little girl she knew so long ago. She even had her trademark ponytails, which made Yomi stare with disbelief at the photo, but after a moment she saw that Chiyo's hair was a bit unruly, and the ponytails were most likely done very recently and hastily. She wasn't sure if it was Kagura's idea or maybe it was Chiyo herself, but it seemed somehow... right. Absurd, childish, but definitely fitting.

Yomi closed her palm over the phone, as this strange feeling swept over her again. For some reason, she felt better than any time in a long time. Maybe in her life was indeed going to change a little? Just a little...

***

Despite numerous attempts on Kagura's part, Osaka didn't answer her calls, so the girls settled for a text message to let her know about the Friday reunion.

"I really hope she still has this phone", said Kagura. "I remember her drowning one in a bath, and another one was somehow crushed under a subway train. It was a long time ago since I heard from her, so we shouldn't get our hopes too high... She probably at least forgot it on a bus or something."

"Well, it seems... plausible", said Chiyo, who was quite familiar with Osaka's misadventures back in school. "I really hope she gets the message though, I'd really like to see her as well."

"Yeah, I remember you two were pretty close", nodded Kagura, refilling her _ochoko_ with more sake. "Same with Sakaki, I guess." She smirked. "I remember Yo... someone saying that if you weren't a kid, Sakaki might have had a crush on you."

Chiyo looked at her with a mock indignation. "S-stop saying perverted things! Besides, it was you who was always running after her... I mean with her", she ended somewhat lamely, and masked it with her usual bright smile.

Kagura also gave a theatrical sigh, although something like a trace of regret passed her face for a brief moment; Chiyo didn't fail to notice though. Was there really some truth in what Chiyo said jokingly? Or maybe Kagura still couldn't get over her defeats?

"You know, Chiyo-chan", she started more seriously after having a long sip of sake, "I should have learned my place back then. I was aiming for the Olympics, can you imagine, and I couldn't even outrun Sakaki. An untrained amateur. Still, I somehow thought it would change one day... Or maybe that she was the only person in the world on that level of performance, and since she wouldn't compete, I would have a fair chance of winning. That was really stupid..."

"But... but you were very good, Kagura-san", uttered Chiyo, not knowing what to say. "I'm sure you still are, looking at you..."

"I'm not Olympic material, Chiyo-chan", declared Kagura grimly. "I tried so hard... I tried so hard, and I could never..."

Within just a second Kagura's eyes became glazed, and a single tear was running down her cheek. In shocked realisation, Chiyo suddenly understood the pain and disappointment the good-natured girl had suffered: unsatisfied ambitions, strenuous drills, numerous losses against Sakaki who didn't even bother training, then most likely against many others, which probably drove her to train even harder, what was probably the cause behind that serious leg injury a few years ago... And now it was too late to become the national champion anyway...

The only thing Chiyo could do was to carefully put one arm around her friend, and pat her shoulder uncomfortably. "But... It's okay, Kagura-san... You're a great person and all... And I really, really believe in you!"

"Thanks, Chiyo-chan..." Kagura was one of those people whose voice was never affected by crying, even as tears were running down her cheeks. "You are a nice person, and I know you mean it, but... You're so smart, and kind, and now beautiful too... you wouldn't understand..."

Chiyo could not bring herself to reveal how she really felt about herself, not in such a moment. Instead, she just wrapped another arm around Kagura and stayed like that for a long, long time, to get her some time to recover — and maybe herself too, as she felt her eyelids stinging a little bit.

Finally, she said, "Kagura-san... We'd better call a taxi."

Kagura nodded, with a mix of embarrassment and gratitude.

***

For the first time in over two years, Yomi was waiting for Tomo to pick up the phone. Just half an hour ago she would never had thought of that, but there she was, hearing the signal and hoping that Tomo hadn't changed her phone number.

Still, a large part of her was hoping for exactly the opposite.

Her hopes and fears soon came to conclusion when she heard the all-to-familiar voice, "Miss Takino here, what is it?"

Yomi took a deep breath. "Hi Tomo, it's me. How are you doing?"

After a short pause, she heard, "Hello there, you ugly fat bitch. How are you and your psycho hubby?"

This wasn't a response Yomi was expecting, but she slid back into her old self as effortlessly as ever. "I can hear that _you_ are doing fine, or at least you've taken your rudeness to a new level."

"No thanks to you. So, what the hell happened that you suddenly remembered to call the only person who's ever cared about your worthless, fat ass?"

Tomo was indeed getting quite elaborate in crafting insults, thought Yomi, much better than her general language skills seemed to indicate. Of course, Yomi couldn't do any worse. "Well, I somehow ran into Kagura and Chiyo-chan today, are we've decided to have a get-together on Friday. For some reason they want you there, probably for entertainment..."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm the ultimate party person!"

"...so they asked me to call you, as nobody else could be bothered talking to you", finished Yomi, unabashed by the interruption. "It's that Korean bar in the old neighbourhood, I'm sure even you remember."

"Mmm... So you're going, too? Did you escape from your old man? Is he after you with an army of ninja plasterers?", teased Tomo. After a few seconds of silence, she added, "Oh, looks like I hit the soft spot".

"I'll see you on Friday night", said Yomi with a voice devoid of any emotion, "and pray that I don't kill you on sight."

"Ha, with my special forces fighting skills I could take you anytime, with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back."

"You're not special forces, baka, last time I checked you were a traffic warden."

"You haven't checked in a long time, you fat cow."

"So, you aren't a traffic warden anymore?"

"What are you saying? Well, see you on Friday then. Don't be late."

* * *

I guess I won't be turning this one to lemons or gorefest after all, but other options are still open! I will try to keep the mood consistent, but if it gets boring or I run out of options, anything can happen.

On a side note, it really is a pain that we don't know Kagura's and Sakaki's first names. I could think something up, but it somehow wouldn't be right... I guess I'll have to go with what we have.

Finally, I am glad that I have recently found a method of naming chapters of this fic. How about having a little contest: whoever gives the correct explanation of where the chapters' names come from, will get a special mention in the next chapter. (Not a big reward, but hey, it should be a pretty easy task.)


	3. Como Estais Amigos

Here it is: finally, the next chapter! Sorry it took so long, recent weeks were just a bit hectic. I'm not perfectly happy with the text, but I can't postpone it any more, can I?

Before we start though, it's time to announce the winner of our little contest! That would be El Five aka Fraietor from the UK, who uncannily recognised the titles of songs by their fellow countrymen, The Iron Maiden. This legendary band's music has little to do with _Azumanga Daioh_, but they choose good titles for sure. Congratulations, El Five!

* * *

The lights of suburban Tokyo sprang to life again, sharpening the contrasts between the darkening sky and the streets below. Light, slightly damp wind was sweeping over Chiyo as she was standing at the corner, looking at the entrance to the Korean barbecue restaurant. She was not quite sure whether she should go inside and wait for the others in more comfortable conditions, or perhaps stay here in case they somehow miss the place, no matter how slim the chances were.

No wonder she got here first; she was so nervous about bringing this meeting to reality that she arrived almost two hours before time. Now she was just standing there, waiting patiently under a street lamp, her mood constantly switching between worrying that nobody else had come yet, and remembering that the others probably weren't as demented as she was to arrive so early. Her eyes were darting in anticipation from one end of the street to the other, looking for a familiar face. She didn't really mind the wind and the wetness at all; her heart was too filled with excitement to care.

It was still at least half an hour to go, when she spotted a lone figure walking towards her at a leisurely pace, dragging a large woollen handbag that seemed to slow her down and bend her to one side a little. Her face was more mature than what Chiyo remembered, but the distant, semi-thoughtful look in her eyes was easy to recognise.

Immediately forgetting about her anxiety, let alone dignity, Chiyo began flailing her arms wildly, screaming: "Osaka! Osaka, here! It's me, Mihama Chiyo!"

Osaka took a good few seconds to look at the cheering girl, and then a wide smile overtook her face. She rushed towards her younger friend with that familiar look that Chiyo at some point learned to associate with smoking illegal substances; before she could react, Osaka pulled her in a tight, warm, and woolly hug. She smelled of incensed candles, wet leaves, and wild flowers.

"Oi... Osaka-chan... Careful!", squealed Chiyo, who was expecting them to fall over any moment, which would certainly draw some attention; she didn't really mind though. She hugged Osaka back.

After a moment Osaka let go of her, and they both could have a better look at each other. Osaka was wearing something resembling a short grey coat, but it looked like it was knitted with enormous needles, a black woollen hat barely covering the top of her head, and an oversized bag made of green wool. Underneath the coat, she seemed to be wearing a pinkish shirt and loose trousers.

"Wow! You look great, Chiyo-chan! And how big you've grown!" Osaka tried to lean over Chiyo as she used to long ago, but as Chiyo was taller than her now, she had to content herself with looking at her younger friend from a few different side angles. "Is it because of the stuff they add to the hamburgers? Does it have any taste? Do American burgers taste different than those in Japan? Even though they're supposed to taste the same, I've always thought there must be some difference, and here you are!" Osaka was still eyeing Chiyo with astonishment and joy.

Chiyo had this well-remembered feeling of being pulled into Osakaverse (not to mention feeling a bit awkward due to the extensive examination), so she decided she should at least show some resistance. On the other hand, she felt Osaka's greeting words might somehow be right, even if not exactly as they sounded... No, I need to shake it off, I'm not twelve anymore!

" We can't rule it out, Osaka-chan", she finally replied, smiling sheepishly. To cover her moment of hesitation, she said, "It's an... er... interesting coat you wearing, Osaka-chan. Um, is it a coat...?"

"Well, Chiyo-chan, it was made when I was still learning how to knit", answered Osaka with a thoughtful expression. "It was supposed to be a cardigan, but I took it a bit too far... Sorry to have come to the meeting like this, but I haven't anything else for such a cold evening!"

"You don't...? Osaka-san, are you in trouble?", exclaimed Chiyo, grabbing Osaka's elbows. "Did you have to sell your clothing in order to pay for rent? Are you very ill? Do you pay aliments?"

Osaka looked at her friend with a bewildered expression, but then smiled brightly. "Oh no, Chiyo-chan, I just ran out of wool when knitting this... And you see, I really needed more wool, 'cause I was in the middle of my Great Project Cardigan!", her face burned with determination for a short moment. "So, well... I scrapped all wooden items I had in my flat to make this", she ended meekly.

Chiyo only responded, "Oh". Following sudden changes in Osaka's aura was rather challenging; was she like that in high school?

"So, are there any other people?", asked Osaka, looking around.

"No... There's still time, though. I hope they'll be here soon, and safely... This wind is getting a bit strong."

"Don't worry, Chiyo-chan! Tomo is a policewoman now, they'll be fine."

Chiyo wasn't sure how to react to that leap of logic, but this moment she spotted a tall silhouette dressed in long brown trenchcoat that was walking towards them purposefully. She recognised Yomi straight away.

"Hello, girls, how are you doing!", said Yomi with a smile. She didn't really look much different than her old self; she possessed the same triangular face and long brown hair, only her glasses were smaller and less reflexive. Chiyo's greetings were a bit more formal than with Osaka, but still warm and cheerful; Osaka was busy observing raindrops slithering down the restaurant's window and missed Yomi's arrival altogether, only realising it after half a minute. Chiyo chuckled.

Before they were able to finish listening to Osaka's fuzzy explanations and start a real conversation, Kagura approached them rather unexpectedly. "Oh, and I thought I would be too early", she said casually, popping up from behind Osaka. This time she wasn't wearing a tracksuit, but a light leather jacket and a pair of black jeans; Chiyo thought she looked positively classy. "So, how is it goin'?"

They all exchanged greetings; Osaka actually greeted Yomi for a second time, explaining she felt she didn't do it properly before.

Kagura adjusted her jacket to block the cold wind more effectively. "I'm glad you made it; I couldn't contact Sakaki."

"Pity! So, we're only waiting for Tomo now?", asked Osaka.

"That's nothing new", mumbled Yomi under her breath.

"Sakaki-san is not coming after all?", asked Chiyo, a bit disappointed.

Kagura shook her head. "I tried to call her mobile, but it was turned off all the time. I even called her old house, and her mom told me that Sakaki cooped herself up in that animal shelter of hers and hardly ever leaves. I think her parents aren't too happy about it..."

"I bet she takes her job really seriously", observed Osaka. "But I wonder what she's doing there all the time, and if she's okay..." The other girls nodded, as Osaka was lost in her own world again.

"Um, maybe we could visit her some time?", Chiyo wondered. "We could even go and see her animal shelter, I bet it's full of cute pets!"

"Yay!", Osaka exclaimed.

A few seconds passed in silence.

"How about we get inside, then?", Yomi decided to take the initiative. "It's not like Tomo needs a greeting committee."

Her suggestion was met with general enthusiasm, as the wind was getting stronger and wetter with every minute. They rushed inside the restaurant with relief — especially Chiyo, who had spent a long time on the street. Still, they all anticipated the spicy meat soon to be consumed, and probably some sake too.

The restaurant was rather busy, but fortunately Kagura — who seemed to be almost a regular here — had reserved a large table beforehand, so they sat down straight away, taking off their damp coats and jackets while trying to tame their equally damp hair. The inside was indeed warm and cosy, filled with delicious aroma and voices of cheery, often intoxicated patrons.

Nevertheless, once they were all comfortably seated, Chiyo suddenly felt a bit uneasy; she really wanted to see them all, but would she be able to talk to them as openly and casually as when they were kids? They all changed a lot after all, and herself probably the most. Kagura's straightforward personality combined with alcohol helped a lot last time she was here, but will it be the same with the others? She glanced at Osaka who seemed equally troubled, and they both smiled at each other automatically.

"All right, let's get our drinks", said Yomi, "and then I'd like to hear what you were up to for the past... years, I guess."

A young waitress came by, and they ordered some light drinks first; they decided not to start eating anything before Tomo joined them. And yet, only a few seconds later they heard a loud screech outside that made most of the patrons' heads turn towards the entrance, just in case a car would smash the front wall and caused havoc in the bar. Fortunately, nothing of the sorts happened, and the noise died down.

"I hope that wasn't an accident", whispered Osaka. "Or something even worse... Oh my! If there is police investigation, please tell them I was with you all the time, and I'll cover for you too!"

"Uh... Yeah, sure...", answered Kagura, eyeing Osaka suspiciously.

***

Tomo had little time to prepare, as she had fallen asleep in front of the TV in the afternoon, and only woke up half an hour before the zero hour. Without bothering herself with bath or makeup (she knew she was sexy anyway) she simply put on some blue-and-white shirt and dark red leggings, complete with her favourite black "Cowboy Bebop" jacket, and got to her car as soon as possible. The aged Toyota wasn't in its best shape, but with Tomo's self-declared skill it sped up quickly, leaving all normal road users far behind.

As Tomo was getting fully awake behind the wheel, she began to wonder about the incoming reunion. It will be fun to see other girls from the gang, not to mention a great opportunity for some serious partying — or to be precise, getting completely hammered while making lewd jokes and generally celebrating as hard as they could. Still, there was the Fat Bitch Factor to be worried about, and she wasn't too sure how to go about this.

While overtaking some sluggish drivers obstructing the traffic with their law-abiding speed, she felt an old irritation growing within her. Her last meeting with Yomi was quite hostile, but it had started long before, when Eiichi the Bastard entered the scene. Upon his arrival, her best friend seemed to have changed overnight into some kind of anti-social freak. Tomo wasn't too worried about it at first, knowing that people usually become idiots when they fall in love; however, after some time had passed, she started to suspect that with Yomi it was something darker, more permanent. Only after meeting Eiichi when visiting their apartment Tomo understood what evil aura Yomi was emanating: one similar to his, just not as strong in malice. When she looked Eiichi in the eyes, for a moment she was a bit frightened despite her normal confidence; he was so unpleasant and rejecting that she immediately thought of some sort of slaver overlord from an old movie. Of course, he was very polite to her, but the way he looked at her... Despite his attempts at hiding it, Tomo knew that look well: contempt mixed with aversion. After all, she'd seen it before in Yomi's eyes a few times during their school years, though it was on a completely different scale and only in the most... extreme situations that Yomi couldn't handle, being such a fussy person with a stick up her ass.

Having been acquainted with the Slaver Lord, and also being a generally nice and well-disposed person, Tomo of course decided to talk some reason into Yomi. That conversation quickly turned nasty; having depleted their usual invectives, they started digging up various things from the past, like when Tomo lost the key in the forest on purpose during high school holidays, or when Yomi stole a 1000 yen note from Tomo's father when they were seven. Maybe it would end well after all, but in the end they Yomi suddenly got all smart and started to criticise Tomo's entire life. She was preaching about Tomo's apparent lack of responsibility, wild lifestyle, wrong habits and questionable morals, like she was some kind of superior being, and practically declared Tomo a disgrace to society. Tomo had heard many nasty things from Yomi over those twenty years, but never before were they backed up with such malicious intent. Yomi didn't even seem angry at Tomo, she was only cold, distant, and overtly hostile, like Tomo was indeed some old, disgusting tramp. Tomo was so shocked that the only thing she could do was either to strike her or simply leave, and she did the latter, being the good-natured (and smaller) one.

After that painful conversation, Tomo was too angry to select Yomi's number for a while. However, since she hadn't heard from Yomi either, she changed her mind and tried to contact her as the good friend should and make her apologise. Her goodwill was falling on deaf ears though, as Yomi wasn't answering her phones, and when Tomo tried a public phone to surprise the big idiot, Yomi just disconnected immediately. Tomo finally tried Yomi's landline, but she only got to talk to Eiichi, who asked her to stop bothering his wife and generally go to hell. And in that moment Yomi disappeared completely from Tomo's life, leaving a hole which... well... somehow couldn't be filled by anyone else.

The present Tomo was getting really angry now over those memories, as she was speeding along a steel bridge hanging over several railroad lines. The nerve to treat her like an inferior, just because she has different goals in life! Tomo always thought that Yomi's latest life plan — mostly consisting of a small white house with a small garden and a big white dog, cooking for the bastard and his kids and watching soap operas till she gets old and wrinkled — was unbelievable boring and provincial, but hey, she never pushed her away because of that; still, Yomi obviously couldn't return the courtesy, because she Always Knew Best.

Always Knew Best, right, with that vampire for a husband and a job at school, where her salary wouldn't be enough to pay for the cigarettes Tomo smoke. But, on the other hand... She suddenly called, after so much time has passed, and invited her for a party. The others had probably put some pressure on her, but still, she actually decided to break the silence. Maybe she was finally coming to her senses? It was probably too much to ask, but there was always hope. However, if she was going to push her shit again on Tomo, she would end up with her middle-class ideals right up her big ass.

Finally! Tomo turned left into a rather narrow street where the Korean restaurant was located. Damn, there's no car park anywhere close... Oh fine, she will park her Tomobile by the main street then.

Tomo immediately reversed rapidly, covering the street with a distinctive amount of exhaustion fumes. She liked going backwards fast, it was somehow more challenging and exciting than normal driving... So she had very little time to react when a small shape jumped forth from under a crash barrier and disappeared behind the car.

Tomo hit the brakes as hard as she could, cursing the cat's stupidity — or suicidal attempt — and stopped abruptly with a loud screech and a smell of burning rubber. Tomo was actually somewhat fond of cats, and running one over with an old Toyota wasn't on her 'to do' list. Since she wasn't sure if she could go back any further, she turned off the engine, switched the hazard lights on, grabbed her oversized "X-Files style" flashlight, and left the car to check the possible damage.

When she heard a pained meowing from under the Toyota, she felt a ting of panic; she quickly got on her hands and knees, and swept the underneath of her car with focused, bright light. There it was: a miserable furry shape just below her rear bumper. She extinguished her flashlight and quickly crawled around the car, while the victim meowed even louder, and much longer.

Maybe it's all right, thought Tomo with clenched throat, if it's strong enough to scream like that. She put her flashlight down and hesitantly patted the pained creature on the head. The cat was visibly trebling from shock, and completely failed to react to Tomo's touch. In order to calm it down, Tomo tried to pick it up, but the cat gave a high-pitched shriek so loud that Tomo instinctively jumped back and sat on the asphalt.

Something was definitely wrong here, she thought frantically. Now she could see that the cat's hind legs were totally limp, which scared her even more. What to do, what to do... She couldn't just walk away — cat or human, she was sworn to protect this city's inhabitants after all! She went through a quick mental overview of her paramedic training, but nothing seemed applicable to a cat...

Of course! Maybe she didn't exactly know what to do now, but there were other people to share this responsibility. She was really lucky it happened just near the place where her old friends were supposed to be. Tomo was sure that Chiyo-chan would think of something, she wasn't a genius just to show off in class after all!

Tomo figured out she should move the patient, but she didn't dare to try and pick it up again, as it seemed to cause the cat enormous pain. But how could she lift it without touching its rear half? After a moment, she made up her mind and grabbed the cat by the back of its neck, just like she'd seen somewhere on TV. The cat only gave a pitiful moan, seemingly losing its remaining strength fast, and surrendered completely to Tomo's grip.

***

The girls returned to their drinks, still waiting for Tomo to arrive. Yomi looked around pensively; Kagura was engaging Chiyo-chan in small talk about some American band Yomi never heard of; and Osaka was thoughtfully staring at the opposite wall. Yomi was actually glad that they left her alone for now, as she was preparing herself for the worst — that is, for the arrival of her nemesis, Takino Tomo.

She did not have the time to get really nervous though, as she saw the door open, and the familiar silhouette entered the pub. Yomi's heart clenched: not in an anticipation of conflict, but with an unexpected thrill. Tomo looked exactly like she had remembered, with her short and spiky (and now rather dishevelled) hair and clothes bordering on Yakuza style, but her expression was somewhat alarming: Tomo looked unusually tense, or even frightened. She was wearing a black jacket and tight-fitting red trousers, and she was holding some kind of fluffy brown scarf in her left hand.

When the scarf looked at Yomi with golden, round eyes, she let a small scream of shock.

"Oi! Hi guys", said Tomo, approaching the table. "Long time no see. Look, we have a problem here..." She lifted the creature a bit higher to give everyone a better view; it was a cat, and something seemed to be wrong with it.

Yomi was too shocked for words. She saw Chiyo-chan's frightened face hovering over the creature. Kagura was looking at it too, as stupefied as Yomi.

"Hi, Tomo-chan", said Osaka brightly. "I didn't know you have an Iriomote cat, too. How did you get it? Oh, and isn't it, like, dying?"

"Oh me God, Tomo-chan!", Chiyo waved her hands in panic. "It's hurt! We need... we need to take it to the doctor, and fast!"

Having shaken off the initial shock, Yomi was almost glad for this dramatic distraction. "You're right, Chiyo-chan. Tomo, I don't know what happened, but you need to fix it."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!", Tomo protested. "I just happened to pick it up from the street, you know, since I'm an officer and it was my duty."

"All right, Tomo, that's very good, but I don't think you should carry it by its neck", said Chiyo with a shaky but commanding voice. "Let's take it to a vet now, I'll show you the way."

She gently took the cat into her arms — the animal complained feebly — and rushed towards the door. Tomo was rooted into a spot for a few seconds, and then followed Chiyo like an automaton. Yomi, Kagura and Osaka looked at one another, trying to keep up with the situation, then grabbed their winter clothes and also made their way to the exit.

"We have to leave already... Sorry about the trouble!", shouted Kagura towards the waitress, who was coming back to check what the commotion was all about. "See you soon, and please add it to my credit!"

Five girls gathered around Tomo's car. The owner opened the passenger's door first, and Chiyo immediately got inside, arms wrapped around the cat protectively. Kagura, Osaka and Yomi squeezed in the back, still without uttering a word. Tomo started the engine, and the car leaped forward like a frenzied kangaroo, causing all of them to frantically look for handles, and Yomi to hit her head hard against the ceiling.

They got onto the main street with a screech of tyres, startling quite a few motorists and pedestrians. One driver in a small van, a young man with long hair and sunglasses, shook his fist it their general direction, but he was quickly left behind.

"You baka, you want to get us killed?", snapped Yomi rubbing her head, for a moment having forgotten that she hadn't spoken to Tomo directly for more than a year.

"Don't panic, Yomi, I've been trained to do this!", shouted Tomo through clenched teeth; Yomi couldn't see her face, but she sounded unusually serious. To Yomi's further horror, Tomo reached into the locker and produced a large glass sphere which she put on the windscreen; the sphere flashed a bright blue light and started blinking rapidly, bathing the inside of the car in a stroboscopic effect.

"So, where is that vet of yours, Chiyo-chan?", asked Tomo, eyes fiercely boring into the road ahead. She overtook a small lorry with a shrimp depicted on the side.

"Umm... Ta-take the next right, it's one o-of the houses on your left ha-hand..." Chiyo's voice was positively shaking. Yomi took a glance at the other passengers sitting in the back; Osaka sitting in the middle was slightly pale, and Kagura was gripping the handle tightly on the other side, looking as focused as if she was the driver here.

The journey took only a few minutes and did not include any crashes, but in the end Yomi was feeling a bit weak herself; it somehow seemed more extreme than the wildest rollercoasters she had ever tried. Tomo parked her car across the pavement in front of a white, well-kept house, and Chiyo jumped out of the vehicle as soon as it was safe. She ran towards the door, cat still in her arms.

"Guys, could you let me out, please?", said Osaka, looking a bit green now. "I feel like my blood somehow disappeared completely..."

Kagura got out too, immediately followed by Osaka, who leaned against the car like she was about to faint. Tomo left the car too after a moment and took a packet of cigarettes from her pocket; she lighted it quickly and exhaled a cloud of smoke, clearly visible in the flashing blue illumination coming from the inside of the car. Yomi decided to stay where she was for now and took a glance at the house; all windows were dark.

Chiyo stood at the door of the house for a moment, then turned around, and rushed back towards the car.

"Oi Chiyo-chan! What's going on?", asked Kagura nervously.

"I think nobody's home", Chiyo answered; she looked like she was about to burst into tears. "We... we must find another vet. I'll check the web..." She got back into her seat and produced an expensive-looking cell phone from her pocket, trying not to disturb her patient too much.

"But can we take an Iriomote cat to a normal vet just like that?", pondered Osaka. "What if they recognise it?"

"Osaka, what's with you and the Iriomote...", started Yomi, but once she looked at the creature, she noticed that it was indeed quite similar to Maya, and she didn't finish her sentence. Instead she had another, closer look at the ears and paws of the small animal.

"O my God... I think you're right. It is an Iriomote cat, whatever it might be doing in Tokyo..."

Tomo scratched her head, and inhaled on her cigarette again, letting some of the smoke inside the car. "I guess there will be questions then, and it will be a bother... What do we do?"

Chiyo suddenly closed her cell phone with a snap. "Sakaki-san! She's a veterinarian, and she can help, no questions asked! I almost forgot about her..."

Tomo dropped the cigarette butt — she seemed to had smoked it in less than a minute — and jumped back behind the wheel. "Alright, everybody get on board, now! Looks like we'll be seeing Sakaki tonight after all, heh heh."

They all hurried back to their seats, readying themselves for another car chase. When the car started rolling, Yomi thought that it was probably going to be the craziest evening of her entire adult life.

She didn't mind it much though; for the first time in ages, it somehow felt like being in the right place, doing the right thing. And, strange as it was, with the right people.

* * *

Fear not, Sakaki fans, for in the next chapter we're finally going to meet her. I hope I'll be able to write her well, as she's both adorable and psychotic. ^_^

As for Tomo, I expected her to be a lot like Yukari, while in fact she appears to have more in common with Narumi Yui from _Lucky Star_. Oh well, I guess it's not so bad, actually...

As always, feedback is welcome!


	4. The Fugitive

Finally, chapter four is up! Apologies for taking so long, I was involved in many other projects (mostly not related to fan fiction), and I struggled with this chapter a lot, too. Hopefully the next one won't take so long, but we'll see.

Many thanks to everybody who has enjoyed this so far, my reviewers in particular; and also to my merciless beta, Dioxine.

* * *

Ayumu was positively happy that the animal shelter where Sakaki-san worked wasn't too far from Ishihara–sensei's clinic. She was as concerned as the others about the little animal's wellbeing, but she was also pretty sure it would be fine, since everyone was working so hard to help. Provided that they can get there in one piece, that is.

Tomo's driving certainly was a challenge to get used to, and Ayumu didn't like challenges much — especially those that made her think of herself in the context of gore movies. She tried to keep her eyes shut to avoid seeing incoming vehicles, but her curiosity prevented her from keeping them closed for too long, and after a few seconds she caught herself peeking with just one eye. Finally, she decided she needed to find another way to deal with this problem, or else she would go crazy or just puke.

The lights... The lights passing by on both sides of the car were really pretty, and the way they were blurred made them look like stars seen during a hyperspace jump. Yes, it was actually much like space travel, and an exciting one to boot: here they were, in their small but state-of-the-art spacecraft, in hot pursuit after the only person in the world who could heal their comrade, and of course with bad guys chasing after them in their black starfighters. It was vital to keep to the hyperspace corridor, but this was easy for the best pilot in the Galaxy (namely Takino Tomo). The lights of vehicles coming from the other side looked a bit like laser shots, missing their craft by mere meters; of course they were coming from the front, not from the rear, but Ayumu decided this was some kind of illusion created by, umm, superluminal effect.

Maintaining this vision was hard at first, as another part of her brain was screaming at her to stop daydreaming and pay attention, but she managed to overcome it somehow, as she learned to over the years whenever something was not to her liking. Her mind was slowly filling with more details, references, and eventually plots, and the stress caused by speed and general uneasiness was only fuelling her imagination. Before long, she had an entire saga developing before her eyes, complete with the characters, intrigue on a galactic scale, stunning cinematic and bizarre alien races. She felt more relaxed now, and she found herself actually enjoying the trip. She was really proud with her mental abilities at times.

She heard Kagura give a surprisingly girly squeak during a particularly sharp curve, and remembered that other passengers didn't have the psychic protection she enjoyed. She felt obliged to lend them a hand.

"Think 'bout hyperspace, Kagura-san", she suggested placidly. "And the princess with a tattoo, those giant mosquitoes, and the two pink moons too. This will help ya."

***

Yomi let an actual sigh of relief when Tomo's car finally stopped. She wasn't faint of heart, but everything somehow seemed much more dangerous once Tomo was around... and that trip was pretty dangerous in itself, however you look at it. Come to think of it, they just risked lives of five people for the sake of a cat, no matter how rare; she should be feeling pretty uncomfortable, but all she felt was adrenaline rush mixed with concern for the creature. Oh, and being annoyed with Tomo, once she remembered why it all happened.

Chiyo-chan shot out of the car as soon as it stopped, and ran towards the nearby warehouse-like building, mumbling "Oh God, oh God, I hope that's the right place..." Kagura immediately ran after her like a faithful aide-de-camp, although she seemed a bit dazed. Yomi wanted to go after them, but suddenly felt as weak as Osaka during their last stop (even though the short girl actually looked quite fine now for some reason, albeit a bit... distant), and decided to gather her strength first.

Tomo got out of the car as well and immediately lit a cigarette, inhaling so much that it visibly shortened by almost a quarter in a few seconds. She was looking a bit shaky, which actually scared Yomi even more.

"Aren't you going after them?", Yomi asked, gazing at her two friends just reaching the gate of the supposed shelter.

"I... I just need this one, I gave it all behind the wheel", Tomo answered, and cracked a grin of victory. "I bet you've never had such a ride before, huh?"

Yomi frowned, also partially because of the blue flickering light which was getting on her already strained nerves. "You're right, I haven't. And I think next time I'll pass."

Osaka moved from her place and got out of the car. "I'm off to see Sakaki too", she said matter-of-factly, and followed Chiyo and Kagura. The two already disappeared inside the building, which meant it was probably the right place.

Yomi felt oddly annoyed at herself for being the only one still seated, and got onto the pavement as well. Of course, it also meant she was standing next to Tomo right now, and to make things worse, it was a particularly full of herself Tomo.

"You know, Yomi, having fun always makes you seem almost friendly", noticed Tomo casually, exhaling a dense cloud of smoke. "I should have thought about it long ago."

Yomi waved her hand in front of her face, quickly dispersing the milky cloud. She gave Tomo a slightly irritated look from behind her glasses, but said nothing.

"Oh come on!", exclaimed Tomo, throwing an arm around Yomi's shoulders. "You've been grumpy far too long. Just admit you missed me, and let's be good friends again. That would do you well, you know."

Yomi's shoulders slumped a little, not only due to the unexpected weight. "You're as annoying as ever, Tomo. Even when you're actually trying to be nice..."

"Don't worry about that!", exclaimed Tomo, dropping her cigarette butt and squeezing Yomi's shoulders even tighter. She seemed to be enjoying herself very much for some reason.

For a moment, Yomi was overwhelmed with desire to push her away as hard as she could. She felt angry and humiliated, and... powerless, and it was very upsetting to feel patronised by people she considered... inferior? No, she didn't actually think Tomo was inferior, it was herself who had been inferior back then, when she couldn't see that Tomo was right.

Yes, Tomo was right, so it would be against all reason to punish her for that — and Yomi had devoted herself to act upon reason since she could remember. So she made no move, only hung her head even further.

She realised Tomo wasn't smirking any more, which was a bit weird. She was looking at Yomi from very close, her brown eyes filled with something close to fascination.

"Wow, Yomi, you're scary", she said quietly. Her breath was reeking of tobacco.

Yomi was puzzled. Since when had Tomo become empathic? Or even if she had, when had she started caring about Yomi's reaction?

Tomo smiled brightly. "Yatta!", she exclaimed, patting Yomi's back rather roughly. "You got good at looking scary! I seriously thought you were going to punch me."

"Uh... no. Why, why would I? It wasn't your fault this time."

Tomo blinked. "Eh? Not my fault? What wasn't my fault?"

"No... nothing. Let's go, if you're done."

"Yeah."

As Yomi was walking alongside Tomo, she tried to comprehend what actually happened. Yes, she was angry with herself. Yes, she was happy to see friendly Tomo again. However, she was sure that something in her interaction with Tomo was a bit weird, or rather Tomo was a bit different than usual... Was her friend actually becoming tactful or considerate towards people? Nah, that's just not possible.

***

"I'm sorry, but we're not a veterinarian clinic. Our doctors are pretty busy with what we have here, you see..."

The middle-aged caretaker was looking distinctly uncomfortable, facing two determined young women and a half-dead cat. He obviously wasn't happy about the trouble they were causing to the establishment he was supposed to guard, but he also seemed a bit embarrassed about this entire situation.

"But we need to see a vet, or it will die!", Chiyo pleaded. "Please, could you tell us at least if Sakaki-san is here?"

The caretaker's face tightened a little; he took his cap off and scratched his head undecidedly.

Kagura stepped forward, raising a closed fist in front of her angry face. "Just let us see Sakaki now! If this cat dies because of you sir, you're gonna be in trouble!"

The man didn't flinch, but gave an exasperated sigh instead. "Sakaki-sensei does not want to be disturbed at the moment... But since it's an emergency, I'll let her know." This time something akin to fear appeared in his eyes for a short moment, but he turned away and went through a metal door, leaving the two girls alone. They were soon joined by Osaka, who seemed to be watching the walls with utmost concentration. It was a small, almost empty hall; there were no animals here, but the air was carrying faint scents of fur, dog food and disinfectants.

Chiyo stroke the wounded cat gently, unsure if the small furry could feel it at all. It wasn't showing any signs of life, but she could still feel its little, fast-beating heart.

The metal door suddenly opened again, and the caretaker beckoned them to follow. "Come with me, please. I'll take you directly to the medical room."

In the next moment, the trio was quickly following the man through a large, scarcely lit room filled with cages upon cages, and most of them were occupied by dogs; higher up, smaller cages with cats were visible. The scent of animals, food and droppings mixed with cleaning agents was much stronger here, causing Osaka to wrinkle her nose in silent protest.

Chiyo expected the caged pets to raise a terrible noise at their sight, but instead the creatures were simply watching them, silent but fully focused. With their yellowish eyes fixed on the newcomers, they didn't utter a sound, but they all seemed to be very aware of everything that was going on. Chiyo had heard that animals in shelters tended to be apathetic, but this was something else; honestly, it was plain weird.

She didn't have time to ponder this, as they reached another metal door with a label saying 'Medical Care Room'. Their guide signalled towards the door. "Sakaki-sensei is waiting."

Apparently indifferent to the eerie ambience of this place, Kagura opened the door and held them for Chiyo to go through. Chiyo expected a brightly-lit room, but she was wrong again: the medical facility was even darker than the main chamber, except for one strong lamp shining on a table covered with a white cloth. Chiyo noticed some cabinets and machinery around the room, but her attention focused completely on a tall figure with long hair, preparing the table with robotic speed and efficiency.

At first sight, Sakaki looked almost the same as in high school, except for her white lab coat and a bit more mature features. However, at the same time something was very different; she seemed paler and more frail than before, her hair was a bit unkempt, and her eyes — her eyes that went wide when she finally turned to see the visitors — were almost glowing with some wild desperation, or perhaps affliction.

"Chiyo-chan...?", she whispered, stopping her hand movements for a second. "Kagura... Osaka..."

"Hello, Sakaki-san", answered Chiyo hurriedly. "Good to see you... umm..." She lifted the wounded cat for Sakaki to see. Osaka and Kagura only waved at Sakaki from the back.

Sakaki simply nodded, and carefully took the cat from Chiyo. She looked it directly in the eyes, and then put it on the medical table. She started touching the creature with her delicate palms, causing it to give a small moan.

"It hurts, doesn't it...", she said quietly.

Chiyo and the others were just standing there, unsure what to do and unable to make a sound. Suddenly they all jumped, startled by a large animal silhouette that soundlessly jumped onto the table. It was a brown cat with black stripes and short ears, bigger than any cat Chiyo had seen in her entire life, which quietly sat on the table and looked directly at her.

"Yamapikarya...", whispered Osaka.

The large cat continued staring at each one them in turn. It didn't actually seem haughty or mildly irritated, like many cats do; it was simply looking at them while emanating some aura of importance and gravity, which only added to the tension. Chiyo felt that this cat has somehow seen much more than herself, and his presence in this room is in some way justified... fitting.

In the meantime, Sakaki didn't waste her time. From a medical locker, she produced a number of items, including a nasty-looking syringe that she immediately used on her patient. Then she picked up what looked like a set of tangled pieces of bandage with some metal parts attached, and started fastening it around the wounded cat, who fell asleep almost instantly. It was only then that she paused and looked at the other women.

"Her hip is broken", she said quietly but quickly. "I... I think it would be best if you leave, for now. I'll let you know when we're finished."

"Right, Osaka-san", agreed Chiyo. "Uh, let's go, guys. We're going to wait in the lobby."

When they were leaving in a hurry, they could see Maya approaching the unconscious cat and prostrating himself beside it, patiently watching Sakaki as she was making further preparations to save her patient.

***

All five girls finally settled on waiting in front of the shelter, as the inside was ultimately a bit too disconcerting to spend an extensive time there, and the operation seemed to drag on indefinitely. The air was still rather cool, but the rainy stopped somehow; also, Kagura and Osaka spotted a small petrol station nearby and provided their group with invigorating, steaming hot tea in polystyrene cups. Yomi, Osaka and Chiyo sat on a low metal barrier separating the building from the parking lot, while Kagura and Tomo remained standing (and, in Tomo's case, smoking most of the time), as neither was doing well remaining motionless.

They were chatting, drinking tea, and laughing, despite the dramatic events that preceded this moment. Kagura was telling jokes she learnt in abundance from her college life. Tomo of course was laughing the loudest and making unnecessary comments, probably to cover her embarrassment about the situation. Yomi was strangely silent, but did not seem angry or preoccupied; she was just unusually concentrated on what others have to say, absorbing their words like a sponge. Chiyo was entertaining them with various stories of her student career overseas, as well as America in general, which prompted many questions from Osaka and Kagura, not few of them awkward. Osaka received a shocking reaction after she revealed that she used to travel too during the past two years, visiting a large part of Europe with some kind of like-minded group of students calling themselves _Neue Japanische Syndikaat_. All these stories, as well as another round of hot tea, made the time fly by pretty quickly and into late evening.

They briefly discussed Sakaki, too; their old friend and her place of work obviously made a strong impression on all of them who'd met her tonight, but none of the three seemed to be willing — or even able to — formulate their thoughts in a straightforward manner. As for Chiyo herself, she felt something thoroughly strange about the place, perhaps even alien, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Was it the room with the cages, full of imprisoned creatures who seemed to observe everything and everyone? Was it Maya, who seemed to radiate far too much... _presence_ for a cat? Or maybe she simply forgot how strange Sakaki's behaviour is, despite her kind heart? Faced with these weird feelings and doubts about her own perception, she could only agree with the others that Sakaki became even cooler and probably a bit more scary.

It was almost two hours later when the door to the shelter suddenly opened, revealing the statuesque and obviously tired silhouette of Sakaki. She was still in her white coat, which strongly contrasted with her jet-black hair, even in this feint light of a streetlamp.

"She will be okay", she stated with her usual quiet, unemotional voice. "She only needs to rest a few weeks." She smiled weakly, which made her face much more radiant nonetheless.

"Good job, Sakaki!", exclaimed Tomo, shaking her hand vigorously and patting her shoulder. "I knew you could do it, of all people!" Sakaki seemed to be taken aback by this sudden display of affection, but Tomo was soon joined by others, who gathered against the tall veterinarian like a group of fangirls. Sakaki was blushing, but otherwise didn't react, either too cool to do anything or unsure of what to do; after a while she nodded a few times, acknowledging the praises she got from everyone, and finally smiled at Chiyo's enthusiastic acclaim.

Praises soon turned to greetings and good-natured remarks, since most of them hadn't seen their friend for years. Finally Sakaki managed to awkwardly invite them inside, as it was still getting colder. To their surprise, she didn't let them back to the shelter, but towards an insignificant door at the back of the building.

"Is it your apartment, Sakaki-san?", Chiyo inquired.

Sakaki nodded. "Mmm." She fiddled with the keys for a moment, and finally let them in.

The one piece apartment was small and modest, especially compared to Sakaki family residence. It was mostly Western in style, dominated by a large bed and an even bigger bookshelf, and unsurprisingly adorned with many cute pictures of pets, but only a few actual stuffed animals; several unopened boxes were still piled up against one of the walls. They took their shoes off and came in, looking around and inhaling a scent of perfumes mixed with fresh wall paint.

Sakaki quickly grabbed some pink bra laying around (the size of which could cause mild depression in less than two seconds) and escaped to the kitchen, leaving some vague suggestion about ginger tea. The rest settled on the floor, filling the small room almost completely. Despite its size, the place seemed warm and comfortable, yet for the most part pedantically clean.

Sakaki soon graced them with her presence again, swapping her white coat with a blue cardigan and jeans, which most likely she was wearing underneath all the time. She carried a large tray of cups and accessories, which she placed on the floor. She still seemed a little flustered, but only those who knew her well could tell.

Still overcome with the relief about the female cat, they eagerly gathered around and grabbed their cups. They felt casual about each other since they had already spent an entire evening together, but adult Sakaki was still a bit of a novelty, so they naturally turned their attention to the hostess.

The hostess, unsurprisingly, was not very talkative, but she seemed to enjoy the gathering nonetheless in her own way; she was smiling faintly as they were talking, and her dark eyes moved from one person to the other with a timid spark of interest. Chiyo was aware that Sakaki herself was being observed by everyone too, but this was not surprising — Sakaki was generally liked among their group, and Chiyo herself had harboured warm feelings towards the tall, shy girl during high school; those almost sisterly feelings that she felt somehow coming back to her now. Sakaki was a bit difficult sometimes, but she was kind, beautiful, brave, and caring, and this obviously hasn't changed. Still, back in the medical room Sakaki seemed like there was something more in her, something greater than eight years ago, but Chiyo could not remember what it was exactly... Anyway, she decided that Sakaki has definitely became a pretty fascinating person.

"You have a cool apartment, Sakaki", observed Yomi. "It's not too big, but it's practical. I guess you just moved in?"

"Uh, no... I've been here since last year."

"Never got the time to unpack?", smiled Kagura. Those boxes were really noticeable.

"Mmm... Too much work."

"You seem really serious about your job, Sakaki-san!", smiled Chiyo. "They must love you in the shelter!"

"Uh..." Sakaki actually blushed, but didn't say anything; she seemed a bit saddened too, though.

"Yes, you're a great doctor and all", offered Osaka, nodding thoughtfully. "You might become be famous, like, umm, Pavlov or something."

Sakaki and Chiyo flinched visibly, but nobody else paid any attention.

"But wait, I think we're forgetting something," observed Kagura, "wasn't it one of them Iriomote cats? Those really rare ones, like yours Sakaki?"

Sakaki hesitated for a second, then nodded — slightly, but confidently.

"Wow! Will you keep it, too?", asked Tomo. "Since it's female, you could breed them now! I guess they should be worth a fortune..."

"Stop it", Yomi cut her off. "Sakaki is not going to run an endangered species farm. She's going to let some officials know about this, and this cat will be taken back to its island when it's supposed to be." She glanced at Sakaki. "Right? Sakaki?"

Sakaki seemed to be sinking into the floor she was sitting on.

"Sakaki-san? Is something wrong with what Yomi-san said?", asked Chiyo.

Sakaki nodded. "Yeah..."

Yomi almost visibly sweatdropped. "What did I say now?"

Tomo looked at her with a satisfactory smirk, but before she could take a verbal jab her friend, Sakaki continued:

"We can't give her to anyone. It's dangerous."

"Uh, dangerous?", repeated Kagura with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"

"I..." Sakaki clearly becoming was very distressed; her palms were gripping the front of her cardigan, and she was trembling slightly. Still, her voice was still as composed as ever. "I mean she is targeted, somehow."

Tomo's eyes lit up. "Wow! What is it, some rare animal smuggling ring? And the officials are involved?"

Osaka gasped in horror, but kept her thoughts to herself this time.

Chiyo hesitantly put her hand over Sakaki's. "Please calm down, Sakaki-san, and tell us. Who is targeting that kitty?"

"I don't know", came Sakaki's uneasy response. "I just... don't know."

"Then how do you know it's true?", pressed Chiyo.

Sakaki blinked, tensed, and finally — exactly where Chiyo expected her to burst to tears — gave a sigh of defeat. She straightened and gave her, and then at the others, a tearful but firm look.

"Maya told me", she declared matter-of-factly.

"Thought so", Osaka nodded wisely.

* * *

Please R&R!


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